


Grimm Odds, Grimm Gods.

by AnDeasAriana



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-05 09:59:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14615922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnDeasAriana/pseuds/AnDeasAriana
Summary: A storm separates Ruby Rose from her team and it forces our heroes down a chaotic path, brimming with demons internal and external.





	1. A story about Ruby.

**Author's Note:**

> The urge to write for RWBY has come on me, if you find the concept interesting please share and i will endeavor to continue it.

\- Present -

Gone was the howling wind, gone was the biting rain and gone too; was Ruby Rose. The stormed had rolled in hours earlier and Ruby ran off to find Weiss. Now Weiss has returned without her and with no clue as to where Ruby went.

*

\- Earlier that day - 

It was the first week of May. The much extended team RWBY (which now included the former members of team RNJR) was on the hunt for a secret base, its occupants had been associates of Torchwick and Cinder. it had been rumored that they were trying to use the grimm for their own ends but nothing was certain. All that team RWBY+ (working title) had to do was find it and relay the information back to the authorities.

With the sun low in the sky, they pitched their camp in view of the treeline. They sat, ate from their rations and talked. Nora and Yang boasted of their great feats of strength. Blake and Ren quietly watched. ruby giggled to herself then turned to jaune.

Ruby: Sisters, am I right Jaune?

Jaune: *laughs* Yeah.

Ruby: You've a bunch of sisters, am I right Jaune?

Jaune: Seven in total.

Ruby: God that sounds like fun.

Weiss, who was sitting on the opposite side of Jaune to Ruby sat up abruptly and turned away from the fire. Ruby called out to her.

Ruby: You alright Weiss?

Weiss twisted around to the sound of her voice then avoided her gaze sheepishly.

Weiss: I'm fine, I just need a bit of privacy.

Ruby relented at the request, only asking that she have her Myrtenaster on hand. They all pondered what was wrong with Weiss, only for Ruby to assure them that she'd speak up if she needed to.

It wasn't long after Weiss went that a storm began to whip up. Dark brooding clouds blotting out the sunset, prematurely ending the day. Soon the wind began to whip about and an icy rain began to fall. Ruby had them stirred into action, double fastening tents, securing equipment, dousing the fire. They huddled in their tents, but Weiss was no-where to be found. She hadn't brought her scroll with her either. It was then that Ruby told everyone that she was going to search the woods for Weiss. She threw on her coat. picked up her scroll and fastened Cresent Rose to her back. Confident in their leader, no one volunteered to chase after her and neither did she ask for someone to come with her. A rookie mistake but they do say "pride comes before the fall".

*

After several hours the storm had let up and everyone got the chance to step out of their tents. Standing in the moonlit humid air they noticed straight away that in the time they had been waiting, Weiss and Ruby had not returned. Worried and a little lost as to what they should actually do, Ren suggested that they may have found shelter in a cave or cleft and that they could be on their way as they speak. So they waited. Sure enough Weiss appeared from the treeline. She hurriedly walked back to the camp with an embarrassed look on her face.

Weiss: You can tell Ruby I'm back, I know she'll have been worried about me. I hid in a cave to avoid the rain.

Nora, Ren, Jaune, Yang and Blake looked to each other and grimaced. Weiss looked to each of them, clueless as to why they all looked so worried. She jokingly said;

Weiss: What is Ruby not here?

Six pairs of worried eyes were her answer


	2. We wish you peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After splitting into two teams and a week of hard searching, the hunt for Ruby Rose has ended. Seven days of seeking to culminate in heartbreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As with last time, feel free to leave comments. it means a lot to me.

*

They scoured the woods for signs of her. All her footprints were washed away but they were able to find her scroll next to a fast moving stream. The decision was made to form a search party to find Ruby. They didn't want to abandon their mission outright, so elected to split the group in half. Yang, Jaune and Weiss would follow the stream, Blake Nora and Ren would continue the mission. At the time they imagined it would take a day at most to find her and that she would start following the river upstream to meet them.

They followed the river for two days but there was still no sign of Ruby. They searched caves and clefts and every tree that looked climbable. They began to seriously worry at this point. They next chose to backtrack slightly and start searching towns and villages nearby but by the fourth day they had nothing. They backtracked almost to where they started and communications with Blake's party proved she hadn't made it to camp either. Jaune tried to encourage them but they all knew something was wrong. It didn't make sense that neither she nor her body had turned up, these wood saw their share of local hunters and foragers. they began to knock on every little farmstead and isolated cottage they had passed up.

*

Yang had spotted a smoke trail after climbing up a tree, a tell-tale sign of life. they had come upon after a short walk and Jaune elected to speak to the occupants which the beleaguered Weiss and Yang graciously accepted. Jaune too was sick of this, of worrying and forcing himself not to despair. As Jaune walked across a wide open patch of grass he spotted a man out the front. At this distance Jaune could tell he was chopping wood. Jaune felt a twinge of anxiety as he imagined speaking to a stranger but he was long past the point of letting it get the better of him. He came upon the man who seemingly noticed him as he stopped chopping and had twisted around to face him.

Jaune: "Hello sir, I'm a huntsman, my name is Jaune Arc. I'd like your assistance."

Man: "Damien Daor is my name, how can I help you huntsman?" He replied in a gravelly voice

Jaune: "I've been searching for a fellow huntswoman named Ruby Rose. She is young, wears a big red cape, fights with a scythe."

The man was wide-eyed and stern and Jaune was take aback. The man averted his eyes from Jaune's gaze.

Damien: "Did she have red and black hair with... silver eyes?" He asked, dread creased his face and struck Jaune's heart.

*

Damien lay his axe on the chopping block, a young woman's face peaked out from door of his home and Damien stepped over to her. Jaune was afraid, the answers were in his face and he wanted to look away, to run from the darkness of the world. Damien approached and the door opened to fully reveal the woman. She was a child and Damien spoke to her in a hush. She nodded to the man, perhaps her father and closed the door again. Damien then signaled Jaune to follow him as he stepped away from the house and began marching up to the treeline.

Damien: "My daughter, Brigid. I usually have her make the short run to the stream to collect water but just yesterday morning she ran back to me telling me she had seen something horrible. I took my gun and retraced the path she took. She hadn't told me what she had seen as she was hysterical. It was there I found a woman as you described her. Cape and hair and eyes all as you described, no sign of a scythe however"

Jaune found himself numb to the words as the tree line drew closer and closer. He ebbed out a question "Can you tell me what happened to her?"

Damien looked back at Jaune then pressed his eyes forward before continuing; "I couldn't imagine how she had ended up the way she did. She was on her back in the crown of a tree. Her blood drained down the trunk, her eyes wide open. She had stab and gunshot wounds, a severed right arm and the back of her skull was cracked open, her spine severed."

It was gruesome and disorientating, he was too horrified to make sense of such a confusing death; he couldn't think at all, just watch as his pace matched Damien's. Finally Damien stopped and Jaune looked up to a tell-tale sight.

A pyramidal mound of stones around a foot tall, with three stone rings around it. The ground had been freshly churned and flowers had been placed against the mound. A large stone had the word's "We wish you peace unknown soul" inscribed on it.

Damien: "I hope it isn't a great bother that I buried her this way, it is customary among my tribe to do it as such, the rings around the mound have seeds sown so that flowers will bloom within them."

Jaune: "It's okay, I'm sure Ruby would've liked it, Would you give me a bit of privacy, my.." A weight started to well up with in him. In his voice and his eyes and nose, "My team will want to know".

Damien nodded, "Of course mister huntsman, but before i go, we must give you something". Jaune turned and saw the young girl again, Brigid. In her hands was a folded cape of the deepest crimson. "I could tell it was special so it was washed and Brigid patched it up".

Jaune graciously took the cape into his hands and gave a thankful nod. Brigid smiled and then her and Damien began walking back to the house. Jaune turned back to the grave and sat down against a tree trunk. He thought about the last time he ever saw Ruby, he never imagined it would be the last time. they never said goodbye. She had died, and died in such a brutal manner. He couldn't fight back the pain, he let the sorrow wash over him.

He cried deeply and his eyes began to sting. It was then that his scroll rang, Weiss was calling him.

Weiss: "Jaune what are you doing, you've been gone for ages what are you.. Jaune? Are you okay? What happened jaune?!"

Yang: *distantly*"Weiss, is he okay? put him on speaker!"

Weiss: "Jaune tell us whats going on we are coming over to you!"

Jaune: "its so horrible Weiss.. It's so horrible"

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knew it would make more sense for the six to split up into sub groups and for no-one to search on their own. the task of the split didn't come easy so I chose to group together those who would get affects by the loss of Ruby the most purely for drama's sake.


	3. No more running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weight of Ruby's loss weighs heavily on Yang, Weiss and Jaune and it couldn't come at a worse time. A Grimm wolf-pack is on the prowl. Evacuations are in motion but before it can come they must face the battle alone.  
> Meanwhile strange things occur in paradise and for Ruby Rose, the only way forward is into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter was a a bit short but this one will make up for it. it'll be a pivotal chapter in this story so lots of fighting, lots of tears, lots of living and dying.

*

Yang: "Jaune!" cried Yang.

Jaune stood up and wheeled around to face Yang and Weiss. The two girls were charging across the open field despite their efforts to conserve strength in days prior. Jaune's face was tear stained. The girls slowed down just before the grave.

Yang; "Jaune, please say something, tell me this is a mistake!" pleaded Yang.

Weiss slumped down onto her knees, grief laying into her, weighing her down like a sack of bricks.

Jaune: "They only found Ruby's body, she was wounded and left to rot, he took and buried her. She is gone Yang"   
Yang: "How the hell is that possible? She wouldn't.. she couldn't have..."

Yang's voice began to hitch as her words trailed off. She let her legs give and Jaune caught her and gingerly lowered her to the ground. Jaune embraced her and she began to wail into his chest. They were each pleading to themselves, for this all to be a joke.

Weiss: "Ruby.. you were always a dolt but.. never once did i doubt you'd come back to us.. to me."

*

Ruby: "Soooooo; who is visiting today?"

Summer took a moment to focus, taking a tray of cookies out of the oven before answering.

Summer: "Well, your friend Pyrrha promised to come over today so we'll wait for her then head down to the green". Ruby began to clap in excitement.

Ruby had spent what felt like days in a dream. in this dream she had ascended and been introduced to her mother for the first time since she was a child. She had met many strange and colourful people and everything seems so cheery. Ruby was never great at lucid dreaming and when it came to her happy dreams she never saw a need anyway. This was the kind of dream where it didn't matter if anything made sense or not, she was gonna just sit back and watch the show. Yang might be interested to hear about a dream involving their mom.

Someone knocked on the door before entering. The man who stepped through the door was ethereal and Summer straightened herself up and gave a courteous nod to the man. Ruby sat patiently on the counter-top gazing at the man, he had the makings of a human form but all that could be seen was light. She jokingly wondered if she could see him better with her eyes closed.

Summer: "Ruby, hop off the counter-top, we have a guest."

Ruby looked to her mother before complying.

Cullan: "Hello Ruby, name is Cullan. I have something important to tell you, you'll want to hear this too Summer Rose."

The otherworldly man made a motion which looked light him straightening a tie though Ruby struggled so hard to focus on him that she couldn't see if he had one.

Cullan: "You see Ruby something unusual has happened and because of it, we have to send you back. I know you probably don't understand exactly what is going on but it will make sense all too soon"

Summer: "Going back? Isn't that impossible?" inquired a worried summer.

Cullan: "It is meant to be but I'll have to explain it to you after Ruby goes. speaking of which; Ruby? you'll have to say goodbye to Summer."

Ruby, despite being at most two foot away from the man, was unable to really digest his words. Her thoughts remained clouded in a dreamy haze. Summer took her daughter into her embrace and let out a heavy sigh. this would be the second time her daughter would be left out of reach by fate.

Summer: "Ruby, its gonna be just be you dad and Yang again, so I want you to keep for our family, and the world. At least now you'll know where to find me." She then laughed to herself, as she pulled away Ruby saw a tear run down her cheek, then; darkness.

*

The hunters gathered together with Damien and his daughter in front of the lonely cottage. They gave thanks to him and he offered his condolences and his home to lodge them; an offer which they chose to decline. It was then that an emergency message came in from a familiar face.

Weiss heard the familiar sound of her scroll ringing and discovered that it was Winter Schnee who was contacting them. Weiss looked to Jaune and Yang before answering. they huddled close to hear the message.

Winter: "Weiss, are you there?"  
Weiss: "Yes Winter I am here, is something happening?"  
Winter: "I had attempted to contact your team leader but I was unsuccessful. I must inform your team that multiple Grimm wolf-packs are moving through your sector and that settlements are to be evacuated. what is your teams location and status?" 

Winter's words remained cool and disciplined. Weiss looked up to Jaune and Yang, they could't speak for Nora, Ren and Blake as they had yet to contact them.

Weiss: "Our team has been divided, I'm with Yang and Jaune... we've sustained one casualty. Ruby Rose was.. Killed in action. I'm sending co-ordinates."  
Winter: "Oh god, Weiss are you.. Weiss you're in danger. A wolf-pack is projected to be heading in your direction; it could engage you in under an hour"  
Jaune: "Seriously!?"  
Winter: "Weiss, I'll see to getting you an evacuation but Hunters are low-priority. The fight might come to you before we are ready to get you. I'll make contact with Belladonna. Stay safe"  
With that Winter cut out. 

Damien: "What was that about?" he asked.  
The hunters turned to him, a tinge of fear was written on his face. Brigid stood next to him, clearly frightened. They all looked away, guilt struck.

Yang: "If you don't already know, a wolf-pack is a category of Grimm horde; it specifically applies to Beowolfs. It could be anywhere from 120 to 150 strong."  
Damien shuddered and took a step back.  
Damien: "That's.. how are there so many? The hordes I'm used to are usually a quarter of that. How do we escape that many Grimm?"  
  
Weiss: Beowolfs migrate in waves called wolf-packs. Once in new sectors they start to fan out into smaller groups and sweep the sector; hunters usually accelerate this and can pick off the Grimm easily. I don't know why they have massed in such an unusual way."

Jaune: "Escaping the Grimm will be pretty much in possible on such short notice. They'll be drawn by the smoke and our auras so well have no choice."

"we have to make battle here"

*

Though emotionally drained and caught out of their element, despite the very noticeable lack of a leader, the five of them drew plans for their desperate defence. It was not long before the first of the Grimm made themselves known. Along the treeline their numbers began to grow. they eyed the small band from across the open ground. Yang placed herself in the opening, arms crossed, proudly displaying herself to the Grimm, standing tall.

Weiss: "Yang? You holding up alright?" Weiss said as she came up behind Yang, she took her place beside her as she spoke.  
Yang: "As good as you'd expect."

They each spurned the silence that came between them. Weiss found it difficult to speak but persevered.

Weiss: "How stocked are you?"  
Yang twisted slightly to eye her with one troubling eye, Weiss recognized the foreboding within Yang then and there.

  
Yang: "Can't you guess? We were supposed to run at the first sign of trouble. We.. They came upon faster than they should have, we've been sloppy. I'm only carrying the minimum, 10 belts, two of which are explosive rounds. You?"  
Weiss: "My Mytenaster is fully stocked but once I'm out that's it. My semblance will definitely help."  
Yang smiled, one piece of good news at long last.  
Yang: "Good point, we could get something summoned when we need to take the heat off. This battle will probably last into the night. Any idea about the guy and his kid?"  
Weiss: "The man, Damien, had some plan to set the grass alight Jaune thought it could help when the night comes. They're making firebombs as we speak. After that he has a hunting shotgun and a pistol, only a small reserve of ammunition; nothing serious unless the Grimm are close."

Yang: "If they get that close then it's pretty much over anyway"

*

The wolf-pack began their preparations soon after the first sighting. Over the course of a half hour the number of Grimm visible from the treeline grew and grew. Even at this distance a semblance of hierarchy was visible, older, more battered Grimm dispersed among younger ones. It was a mystery to hunter society how Grimm came to be but that was a discussion for another day.

The first wave came in slowly, approaching at marching pace. They were spread out with roughly even spaces between them, forming a checkered pattern. of all the enemies they had fought and all the encounters they had with the Grimm they had never fought this many and had never seen them so organised. The display was unnatural, unnerving, they couldn't help but watch. The shear lack of ferocity within these Grimm stunned them.

-BANG. A gun shot rang out.

The horde charged suddenly with all the feral fury they had come to expect. In a panicked counter they opened up with dust, explosive rounds and as much fire-power as they could. The Grimm took heavy losses causing the first wave to retreat just shy of their objective.

Yang looked around, no one was hurt. Everyone struggled for breath, not from exertion but because they had unknowingly held their breaths. She watched the Grimm battle line, the roughest and toughest Grimm had front row seats to the carnage and had been watching carefully. She realized too late what they had done; by attacking erratically the Grimm had rattled them and they had shown their hand early by dealing out so much damage without thinking.

*

The second horde came minutes after the last, it was double the size of the first one and it surged out from the treeline at breakneck speed. The five of them spent a few moments listless, having lacked any type of leadership. Yang and Weiss looked to each other then pushed forward to meet the Grimm's charge. Weiss buffed Yang with a time dilation glyph and Yang in fear and fury, became a blur of golden flames. She was going all out, unhinged and unabated. The Grimm began to focus on her, thinking she was over extending and would be easy prey. She watched as they moved to surround her, she prayed that Weiss would catch onto her plan without being told.

A black Glyph began to form at her feet; Weiss didn't disappoint as per usual.

she shot up into the air and unloaded into them with explosive rounds. In moments the horde was reduced to a fog of flame and dirt. Against this chaos, the Grimm fell back. Stunned, the hunters gazed into the smoke and held their breath until Yang re-emerged. Having taken out her fury on the horde she was been exhausted. Yang dropped onto her knees then turned and lay sprawled out on her back.

Weiss: Yang! You better be fine because you should know I'm not a fan of you cutting lose and wearing yourself out this early on.

Yang: I know *pant* Ice Queen. I know it wasn't wise.. but it was really, really, satisfying.

*

Our heroes waited for the Grimm. The sun soon set and dim twilight began to wrap around the battlefield. After only minutes of being under the sunless sky the Grimm attacked for the third time. With light levels dipping, the Grimm were nothing more than shadows against the pale green grass. the least one could see was their feet. They knew this battle couldn't be done without light.

Weiss had recalled the early plan to summon something.. she couldn't remember now what was said. She decided to summon the Arma Gigas now instead of later. Yang was still worn out and they had all barely eaten in the stress of the battle. The Grimm were coming, in what volume she could not say but they were coming in fast. She pointed to the clear patch of ground in front of her and placed down her glyph. She machine's giant limbs streamed out of the glyph one by one until it was fully emerged. The summoned automaton's glow and its enormous stature drew all attention to it. Weiss couldn't help but be disappointing by how little light came off it but it remained an iridescent beacon in the darkness.

The third wave's charge was blunted almost immediately and it seemed that they would be mopped up without any hassle. Jaune and the others let out a sigh of relief. The machine had no subtlety to its attacks but its great-sword came down rapid arcs. The machine tore up as much Grimm as it tore up the earth around it. Though Weiss remained focused on her summon and the Grimm faintly illuminated by it.

The darkness was descending rapidly and an overcast sky blotted out the moon. Jaune noticed too late that the Grimm had been sneaking around them in the darkness. A single Grimm Beowolf climbed onto the cottage's roof and leaped over them and onto Weiss. Caught completely off guard, the Grimm pinned her to the ground. The sudden impact of her head against the earth knocked her unconscious. Jaune readied himself to attack the Grimm, Yang strained against her aching muscles to stand, but it was the young girl Brigid who struck first, running up to the Grimm. The monster turned to face her and so she stopped and fired seven times at it, nailing it in the face. At the end of the barrage the Grimm lay dead. Young Brigid then began pulling Weiss back to safety.

*

With Weiss unconscious the Arma Gigas dissipated, the remaining Grimm charged, including those who had stayed back in the treeline, one final and great onslaught. Jaune saw one option left, he say no time left to think of another one. He quickly threw down his sword and shield and reached into a box next to Damien. The box contained eight fire bombs. They weren't immaculate, made from any combination of fire dust, alcohol and tree sap. Jaune lit the rag fuses then took one in each hand. He rushed forward, taking five steps then launching one. It burst into a pillar of flames sending fiery tendrils snaking through the grass. With Damien's help they launched half of their bombs, The wall of flame built up by the bombs halted the charging Grimm and held them back.

Jaune took command, getting everyone to climb on the cottage's thatched roof. He sent Brigid and Yang up first and then all four of them hoisted up Weiss, who remained unconscious. This self-imposed authority was a new feeling for Jaune, an exhilarating one. From their high ground they launched their remaining firebombs. the result was a ring of flames perfectly enclosing them.

The flames began to push out, forming two rings of flame, one receding to the cottage and the other growing towards the treeline. They sat anxiously on the roof, eyeing the flaming embers that swirled through the air. In that time Yang recovered some strength. Weiss has also awoken but she had a concussion and it had affected her vision, making it hazy and washing out the colours. Exhausted and with munitions running low; they each prayed the flames would scare off the Grimm or at least shield them until the evacuation ship arrived.

As the twilight dissipated and the night truly began; The overcast sky sent thunder echoing over them. A single rain drop became two, then grew exponentially, it was a thick, pounding rain. The rain came down deafeningly hard. The Fires, which had towered high minutes ago were brought low by the biting, icy rain.

*

Yang loudly cursed the wretched rain. It had taken away Ruby, her dearest, sweet sister and now it was going to claim them all. The fire died and not even the light of the moon shone down on the battlefield, from their place upon the roof they saw virtually nothing. Then, a single bolt of lightning unveiled the sea of Grimm assailing them.

Weiss: "Yang, what should we do?"  
Yang: "Do you really think I have a plan?"  
Jaune: "Come on you must have some idea? There has to be a way out of this."  
Yang: "I hate to tell you, but its all over, we fought and we lost, we're gonna be with Ruby soon."  
  
Weiss moved over to Yang and grabbed her by the collar of her jacket.  
Weiss; How can you say such a thing! Giving up after all we've been through, is this what your father would've wanted? What Ruby would've wanted?!"

Yang swatted Weiss' arms away with her robot arm.  
Yang: "I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO! THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO!"

Weiss noticed then that Yang was afraid. it was very hard to see but there were tears streaming down her face, her nose was also stuffed. Weiss too felt her heart pierced by despair. She thought about Jaune and the others but feared they too would lose hop if they locked eyes with her.

*

 "Ruby Rose"

Ruby heard the voice echoing in her head, she sat up straight. Her cheek felt strange and she noticed she had been resting her head on a cold metal table. She searched her surroundings, a single, low hanging lamp illuminated the room, the walls were nearly invisible in the darkness. She was wearing her old huntress outfit which was a surprise; the bigger surprise was Glynda Goodwitch sitting across from her. 

'Is this a dream?' Ruby pondered to herself.

Glynda: "You are right Ruby Rose, it is a dream."  
Ruby: "You can hear my thoughts?" she asked, shocked.  
Glynda: "Are we not inside your head? where better to hear them?" mused Glynda and Ruby couldn't help but giggle.

Ruby's thinking was hazy, she would've noticed straight away if her discipline had been with her but as of now she was carefree, her thoughts were.. floaty, to make descriptions short. She popped her elbows on the table and lay her chin on the backs of her hands and looked into Glynda's eyes. She couldn't find the time for the usual respect she would give Glynda, everything just felt too happy to bother with that. Glynda didn't pay heed to this, only straightening up and clearing her throat.

Glynda: "We must discuss something Ruby, on the topic of rule breaking and your demise."

Ruby couldn't help but look crooked at her but Goodwitch didn't snap and say "only joking" as one might expect. Ruby's eyes narrowed and she put her hands back onto the table. Intent on listening.

Ruby: "I hadn't realized I was meant to be dead. I live a dangerous life but I suppose I've had close calls." Ruby replied sarcastically, waving her left have around as she spoke.  
Glynda: "I had a feeling you wouldn't take this seriously" she replied, rolling her eyes as she did.

Glynda then reached under the table for something and then produced something. it was about a foot long and wrapped in thick cloth. Its shape was vaguely cylindrical and one end of it was dyed red. She held the object up just under the light then dropped it. It hit the metal table with a loud meaty thud. The sound made Ruby jump and both her arms were pulled in tight and off the table.

Glynda: "Unwrap that, then you will know what I speak of."

Ruby gave Glynda awful stink eye for scaring her but resolved to unwrap the object if it would put Glynda's case to rest. She reached out to the object and felt, a disturbing aura rise off of it. The feeling in her gut said 'no, don't touch it, it's dangerous' but she was curious. She took the object in her two hands, the red end, which she had touched with her right hand was wet and she reeled in to see her right palm was blood stained. Terror and curiosity guiding her; she grabbed the cloth by its end and pulled upwards. She fear rising by the second.

The object spun out of the cloth unceremoniously. She tossed the cloth away and found that the object was an arm. It's flesh was pink and blood flowed from the severed elbow. 'was it warm?' she morbidly thought. She went to touch it, but no hand reached out. She search and found her right arm missing, severed at the elbow. A ringing noise began to rise inside of her ears, the thunder of her pulse grew louder and louder, Sweat began to bead and run down her. She reached out the void of her arm with her remaining hand and then saw her clothes were ragged and every inch of exposed skin bore a wound.

Glynda began to laugh to herself. She hunched in her chair, elbows on the table, her two hands meeting in front of her mouth. Her eyes concealed by the glare on her glasses. 

Ruby's mind was racing too fast for her to think clearly. She became drawn to the arm and reached out to grab it. When she had grasped the arm in her hand, her mind blurred with memories she had suppressed, images of torture and cruelty and pain. It ended in an instant but every painful second she had remembered was coursing through her again. it seemed like eternity, all she felt was pain; the screaming in her head deafened the screaming come out of her mouth. 

When it was over, she felt despairing numb, her world was no longer the interrogation room. It was an infinite black sea, contrasted with a sky of glacier white and a beading golden sun perfectly placed in the centre of the sky. 

Glynda was gone but an unfamiliar voice chimed in. it spoke into her and without a source like the voice of god. 

"It's alright child, you don't need to think anymore. I'll protect you, just like all the others; they are quite like you."

The voice felt warm and safe and at this point Ruby no longer felt like a living being, a presence, like she could think.   
She might have relented, let another guide her and command her in place of herself, but, other voices began to travel into her, assaulting her simultaneously.

A young girl, crying, begging God for help, a pistol in her hand.   
A poor man, searching erratically, A shotgun slung over his back.  
A Girl with White hair, her hope crushed, dried blood running down her head.  
A blonde man, choking on tears.   
And a blonde woman, her hair was a fiery gold. She stood tall, but her head was bowed. Through her tears she muttered the same questions "Why Ruby? Why did it have to be this way?"

Ruby.

Her name was Ruby,

Her friends and family were still out there,

She was determined to help them.

The glacier white sky was then swallowed by the darkness.

*

The lights on inside the cottage projected, for as little as 20ft. The Grimm would be on them in seconds, they all knew that but all they could pick out of the charging Grimm was a cacophony of snarling and scratching.

All at once an odd tremor shook the house, Yang and Weiss struggled to find their footing. They could hear the sound of tree's croaking and collapsing.

From the darkness a viscous, guttural howl sounded through the land followed by a strong gust.

The charging Grimm were silent

For a few moments the world remained silent. Above them the clouds began parting, the rain stopped pouring and under the pale moon the Grim came into view. Yang did not shudder. She loaded her last explosive rounds and sent absolutely everything she had at the Grimm. her foes were clumped together and flat footed. Through the flames she found further targets. The Beowolfs began running in different directions, panicked and eager to leave the battlefield. The others merely watched as the field before them erupted into furious flames. Eventually the sound of shot was replaced by a faint clicking, all her rounds were spent.

The world was silent once again, save for some heavy breathing on Yang's part. Though eased by the fact that the Grimm horde had been vaporised, they all waited, looking for any sign of what caused the shock-wave and the otherworldly howling.

Their eyes searched the darkness, the only thing was visible were a pair of white lights in the distance. They watched, unable to tell if it was a pair of ships. out of the aether, a bolt of lightning etched across the sky. The resulting flash of light carved the signt of an enormous godly Grimm. It towered over the Forrest canopy and the glowing white lights were its eyes; they set themselves on the terrified hunters. Blanketed in Darkness, the hunters track the behemoth Grimm through it glowing eyes and its footsteps which crashed with explosive force against the ashen earth.

Against such impossible odds all were left legless. Jaune looked to Weiss, she had her sword up but she was shaking. Jaune then looked back to Damien and Brigid, the later of which was being shielded from the Grimm by Damien. he looked then to Yang, her was behind her and she didn't appear to be shaking. Yang threw her arms out wide like a shield and ordered everyone to run. The rain came down once more, a crack of lightning silhouetted the beast. It's impossible might shook Yang to no end but she stood poised, ready to die if it would save innocent people and her friends. The shockwaves grew stronger by the second, it was a miracle the cottage hadn't collapsed but it very well could. She struggled to maintain balance. Her teeth began to chatter and then she felt the rain stop falling on her.

It was standing over her.

She shut her eyes and prayed to every god she could name for a painless death. There she stood, waiting for the finishing blow. but it wouldn't come. She opened her eyes to see the beast's face hovering over her, Its glowing white eyes watching her closely. It then pressed one lone finger out to her, as one might do to a stray cat. She was so lost in that one moment, nothing in the world made sense to her; a grim was trying to.. connect with her? Yang complied, she pulled her arms in and offered her metal hand to the beasts finger. In this position they stayed for a tortuous few moments. The beast retracted its arm then, turned around and marched back to the treeline. Each step an explosion but each explosion grew weaker by the second. Soon there was nothing, and when the lightning struck again there was godly Grimm.

With the rain pouring down on them and the battle one, Yang began to laugh. the laugh was picked up by Weiss and Jaune and soon they were all laughing.

Damien: "I'm sure your all tired, you have every right to sleep in my cottage"

They murmured words of thanks, all of them were drained, even little Brigid. Yang and Weiss couldn't stay awake long enough to eat something. Not long after they were all in bed.

*

Brigid awoke to a rasping knock on the door, Her father and the three hunters were sleeping heavily, their bodies strewn across the small cottage. She sat up and dusted herself off. She walked over to the door and opened, there in the doorways was a sight from another world. A red and black haired woman, dressed in her best burial wrappings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up most of the Grimm-wolf pack stuff but kept it within the realm of possibility for an army of evil creatures with a singular, perhaps primordial ruler (Salem).it took a lot of time and effort to bring out this chapter and any support or feedback is wholeheartedly appreciated. I'm quite new to fanfiction writing but i'm trying my best.


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